Combined chin rest and muting device



April 15, 1930. c. CLARK COMBINED CHIN REST AND MUTING DEVICE Filed June 22, 1926 Inna/afar 676273 0/72 0/008 1 yifiorlz 6y i atented Apr. 15, 1930 PATENT OFFICE CLAIBORN CLARK, OF WILMAR, CALIFORNIA COMBINED CHIN REST Application filed June 22,

particularly in connection with a violin and while that is my preferred adaptation, yet I do not wish to limit the invention to that specific instrument.

The present method of muting stringed instruments is by the use of brass, wood,

ivory or like mutes so shaped as to fit 011 the bridge of the instrument, clear of the strings, to add inertia, thereby interfering with the tree transmission of the sound vibrations from the strings to the belly of the instrument. Such methods, however, while they achieve the desired ultimate result, are very inconvenient in that the player must interrupt hisplaying to adjust the mute in place and remove it when desired.

By he use of my invention such faults are entirely overcome, as in my device the chief object is to provide a mute that may be operated by the players chin, the muting plate being operated from a portion of the divided chin rest. The accompanying drawings will aid in a clear understanding of the nature and scope of my improvements. In these drawings:

Fig. l is a plan of my device mounted on a violin;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, with parts in section;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the chin rest operating means;

Fig. t is a detailed illustration of the muting device taken as indicated by line 4.l on Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an end view of the device showing mounting thereof; and

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the chin rest taken on line 66 of Fig. 1.

In Fig. 4 I show a muting plate 10, preferably composed of some non-resonant material, adapted to move to and from the bridge 11 of a stringed musical instrument. This muting plate is mounted on a plunger 12 which plunger is mounted in a tube 15 and is actuated in its movement against the bridge by a coil spring 16. Plunger 12 has I of the instrument.

AND MU'IING DEVICE 1926. Serial No. 117,695.

through it a cross pin 17 which slides longitudinally in groove 18 in the wall of tube 15. l/Vhen the device is in inoperative position spring 16 is held compressed by means of pressure applied upon cross pin 17. This pressure is applied by means of vertical pin 20 mounted in and rotatable with cross bar 20. How this cross bar is rotated to re lease spring 16 will be hereinafter explained in detail. When vertical pin 20 is rotated out of contact with cross pin 17 (see dotted line position in Fig. 4), spring 16 forces piston 12 and muting plate 10 against bridge 11. When it is desired to withdraw the muting plate from the bridge, vertical pin 20 is rotated back against cross pin 18, moving the plunger and muting plate back against the action of spring 16.

The entire device is held in suspension, entirely clear of the sound box of the instrument, by means of a rod 25 mounted at one end on the stationary portion of the chin rest. lVhile I show this rod being so mounted by being screw-threaded and extending through the chin rest and being held P rigidly in place by nuts 27, it will be understood that such mounting may be made in various well known manners. Rod 25 extends at its other end into a tube 28 which is adjustable longitudinally on it and is held in adjusted position by a set screw 29. Thc cross bar 30 upon which tube 15 with its carried parts and rotatable cross bar 2O are mounted, is adjustably mounted on the other end of tube 28 by means of set screws 31 and upright 32.

The chin rest which holds the entire de vice in suspension is clamped to the top and bottom edges of the sound box behind the tail piece by means of two turn buckles 14: which hold the chin rest down tightly on the upper edge of the instrument and have a clamp hook 19 clamping the lower edge Feet 21 made of cork or some non-vibration transmitting material, are provided between the stationary part of the chin rest and the upper. edge of-the instrument so that the device may not interfere with the tone qualities. of they instrument.. Glamphook 1.9 and feet-21;,contact with the instrument only on the edges thereof, as shown, so as not to interfere with i the sound boX. The chin rest is divided (as shown at 36 in Fig. 6) into two sections 38 and 39, which sections are hingedly connected at one end by hinge member 37. Section 38 of the chin rest is stationary while section 39 is movable on hinge 37 and is raised at 39 so as to permit of easy operation by the chin. Connected to the free end 39 of the movable section of the chin rest is a rod 41, which may be made of stiff wire, by which the rotatable cross bar 20 is rotated. This rod 41is' hingedly connected at one end to the rotatable cross bar through the medium of an arm 44. At its other end rod 41 is" connected to free end 39' of the movable section of the chin rest through a slotted connection 43 hingedly connected to the rod 41 at joint 42.

lVhen muting plate is against bridge 11 the movable portion 39 of the chin rest will be in the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. For returning this portion of the chin rest to inoperative position a spring 52 is provided, spring 52'being strong enough to pull all the parts back against the action of spring 16.

Having described the arrangement and 'nature of the various component parts of my device, it may aid a better understanding to describe a typical operation thereof. hen the device is in inoperative position the various parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1. When it is desired to mute the instrument all that is necessary is for the player to press forward on portion 39 of the chin rest. This forward motion moves rod ll forward toward bridge 11 which move ment rotates rotatable cross bar in a counter-clockwise direction, which rotation in turn causes upright pin 20 to move away from the cross pin 17 as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. As upright pin 20 so moves away from the cross pin, spring 16 forces piston 12 and muting plate 10 toward and against bridge 11' and holds it in that position until it is desired to release it. To re lease it the player merely releases the chin pressure on chin plate 39' and spring 52 returns the device to inoperative position.

I claim:

1. In combination with the bridge of a stringed musical instrument, a chin rest mounted upon and insulated from the body of the instrument and movable thereon substantially in a plane parallel to the body of the instrument a damper connected to the.

chin rest and adapted by movement of the chin rest to move to and from the bridge substantially in a plane parallel to'the'bodv of the instrument. U

2. muting device embodying-in combibridge by spring actuation and away from said bridge by spring contraction, tubular mounting means for said damper and spring actuating means, a rotatable cross bar and pin means therein for releasing and contracting said spring; a chin rest mounted on the instrument body, said chin rest being divided into a stationary section'and a movable section, said sections being hingedly connected at one end, spring means actuating the movable section of saidchin rest in one direction; an adjustable rod mounted at one end in said stationary section of the chin rest and supporting at its other end said damping and spring operating means; connecting means between said damper and said movable section of the chin rest so that said damping means may be operated by movement of said movable section of the chin rest, said chin rest and damper operating means being.

mounted upon and insulated from the instrument body.

3. In combination with the bridge of a stringed musical instrument, a chin rest mounted upon and insulated from the instrument body, said chin rest being divided into a stationary section and a movable section hingedly connected together, the movable section being movable in a plane parallel to the body of the instrument; a damper con-' ne'cted tothe stationary section of the chin rest and adapted, by movement of the movable section of the chin rest, to move to and from the bridge substantially in'aplane parallel to the body of the instrument.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 1st day of June, 1926.

GLAIBORN CLARK.

nation withthe bridge ofa'stringed musical injetvumenaadamper movable against said 

